Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/469117
www.wbjournal.com • Worcester Business Journal 97 25 YEARS FROM NOW: CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS IN 2039 So, what about the next 25 years? It's 2039. What will drive the region's business sector? Here's a whimsical look into the future. With global sea levels rising by nearly a foot per decade, the commonwealth's political leadership took the bold stroke of moving the capital 40 miles west, to higher ground. Now, business and civic leaders are jawboning over the details of a 25-year master plan that — depending on what they come up with — could position Central Massachusetts as the state's economic hub, while Boston's waterlogged seaport and financial dis- tricts, as well as the Back Bay, become managed flood zones. In a meeting with state officials earlier this month at the Downtown Worcester Westin hotel, several city councilors expressed frustration that Worcester's seismic shift from what was a decaying urban core in the 1980s into today's thriv- ing metropolitan hub has transpired at a higher-than-expected rate of speed. And that, they said, has frustrated both long- time residents and the hundreds of trans- planted former citizens of Eastern Massachusetts who migrated west. "It's difficult to know where to begin," said former governor Timothy P. Murray, who, over the past 40 years, was on the front lines of redevelopment as mayor, and later as president of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, in between his terms as lieutenant governor and governor. "We've been moving things along piece by piece for so long; now it feels like we're going at warp speed!" While some business leaders admit to being content with the brisk pace of busi- ness, and comfortable with the region's status as the life sciences hub of the coun- try, they have also expressed alarm at what they call "warning signs" about the region's economic sustainability, namely: Soaring office rents. The rent for Class A office space is averaging $105 per square foot, according to a recent study by Kelleher, Sadowsky, Glickman, Kovago, CBRE Colliers International. There's very little office space available, forcing many employers to offer some of their workers incentives to work from home due to the cramped quarters at work. Convention/arena space. It has been five years since the DCU Center was rebranded as EMC Arena and became the new home of the Bruins and Celtics. But concert promoters have shied away from pushing big events for the nearly 15,000-seat arena in down- town Worcester because of high rental prices and the negative publicity the arena suffered in 2035 after attendees at a Justin Bieber "comeback tour" concert pelted the singer with eggs. Getting to the airport — be careful. Global warming's impact on Boston also boosted air traffic at Worcester Regional Airport tenfold, jamming traffic along Route 122 coming into and out of Tatnuck Square for hours each day. That was eased in 2036 when the National Transportation Safety Board cleared the way for the use of small, passenger air carriers that could stay airborne for up to two hours as long as operators traveled no more than 10 miles in a single trip. But since there is no easy access from the airport to either Interstate 90 or 290, use of personal air carriers for travelers flying into and out of Worcester climbed 40 percent this year, the highest of any air- port in the Northeast. That, officials say, has resulted in at least 12 injuries and one near death in the airport's designated landing zone for the new aircraft. Safety for pedestrians — from pedestrians. Foot traffic in and around the region has greatly increased over the last 25 years, as more people prefer to leave their cars at home — or not have them at all. But the rise in wearable tech gadgets has caused a higher-than-normal number of per- sonal injuries with many incidents of people walking into each other. That echoes a recent finding by the federal Centers for Disease and Injury Control that the problem of "distracted driving" that caused crippling and sometimes fatal injuries on the nation's highways in the early years of the 21st century has given way to "distracted walking," as pedestrians playing virtual reality games can often be seen swinging wild- ly at others as they walk. While the injuries are not as devastating, they have at times kept the many walk-in medical clinics in Central Massachusetts busy, creating a strain on health care providers. For business, it has meant an increase in sick days, resulting in a drop in productivity. "Walking and reading at the same time — ugh! God forbid they also chew gum," said Jordan Macy, a nurse practitioner at a walk-in medical clinic at Panera Bread in Shrewsbury. "Or drink hot coffee." n BY DEESIDAH D. ROAD Special to the Worcester Business Journal F ive years after Massachusetts moved its state capital to Worcester, business and civic leaders are haggling over the details of a 25-year master plan that could transform Central Massachusetts into the economic hub that had long been Boston, before rising sea levels began flooding its downtown in the middle of the last decade.